How many minutes passed already? I was still lying on the roof and let everything I just heard sink in. Am I really dead? Should I believe whatever this stranger beside me told me? I mean, Minwoo looked just normal. (As normal as someone who has in wearing white color from head to toe could be). He didn’t have any wings or halo above his head. He didn’t have the heavenly and celestial aura around him. And his voice wasn’t soft and melodious like an angel’s voice would be. (Well, I hadn’t heard any angel’s voice before, so let’s forget my last sentence). In fact, this Minwoo – aside from his all-white clothing – reminded me of the bad boy. From the way he subconsciously clicked his tongue when he was being impatient.

“I don’t think I’m dead.” I mumbled to Minwoo. “But I do think you’re lying.” I said again rather challenging him.

“Okay, I can understand that.” Minwoo said calmly and nodded.

“Eh? Just like that?”

“You will get back your memories soon. By that time, I don’t need to prove you anything.” Minwoo smiled. “It’s easier that way rather than fight with you, right?”

“When I would get my memories back?”

“It’s different on every person. Some might get it after several hours. Some might need days.” He said carefully, but then a mischievous smile appeared on his face. “And for some idiots and slow ones, they might need weeks.” And I hated – very very very much – the way he emphasized the word ‘idiots’ while he was glancing at me.

See? No way there’s an angel who loves to ridicule.

And I felt wronged at the fact that I couldn’t mutter any single word to reply him. , what if I need to wait for weeks to get my memories back? And I was contemplating whether to just simply asked Minwoo – since I knew for sure he knew a lot.

“How did I die?” I asked weakly after some long pause.

“From an accident.” Minwoo answered shortly. But I could sense the weird tone on his voice and the way he slightly moved his hands rather uncomfortably. So I knew right away that Minwoo didn’t tell me the whole truth. I glared to him because now I felt so much offended. Great, I thought, I was dead and this self-proclaiming angel lied to me.

I must have been doing something very bad in my short life time before, to be punished this severely after my death like this.

Minwoo then looked away to avoid my gaze. So it only gave me some assurance that he lied to me. Wait a minute, if I could spot him lying that easily, so it means he didn’t lie to me when he said that I was dead? So he told me the truth when he said that he’s an angel?

“What I have to do now?” I sighed and suddenly felt very very tired. Who would’ve thought that someone needs to do some more chores after his death? 

Minwoo turned his head slowly to face me. “Here’s the deal, Eric. You’re still bound to this place because you were not ready yet to leave. So basically that’s what you have to do. You have to cut any strings left between you and this world.” Minwoo explained in a most confusing way possible.

Now the picture of me tangled in many thin strings like a marionette perfectly planted in my head. Or other picture where I was desperately hanging on one tiny string to avoid myself was being blown away to the far sky. Now Minwoo said that I need to cut those invisible strings?

And how I was supposed to cut those strings?

***

My guessing was right. Minwoo was crazy. And all my imagination about an angel was shattered only after I spent some times with him. I already have told you that he didn’t have an angelic voice (whatever that means) but worse than that, he was just plain annoying. I mean, if I desperately needed an angel by my side to guide me then that assigned angel should help me to get my memories back, right? Not floating around my head and humming a pop song all along near my ear.

“Would you just shut up?” I finally hissed when I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh, sorry.” He said rather nonchalantly.

“And can’t you sit?”

Minwoo sneered. “Well, my is not as heavy as yours. So unlike you, I prefer to be like this.” Minwoo said arrogantly while moving his hand like he was swimming in the air or something like that.

I looked around and tried to find anything – ANYTHING! – that I could throw at his smug face.

“Oh, and don’t waste your time. Even though you throw a garbage truck at me, it won’t hurt me. I’m an angel, remember?” Minwoo then chuckled annoyingly.

“But I know it will hurt your pride.” I said shortly. Minwoo turned his head to me and was squinting both of his already small eyes. I knew he was thinking of what to say to retort. Come on, say anything. I would gladly throw my shoes at you.

He didn’t find anything though, because then he reluctantly got down and sat beside me while muttering “Okay.. Okay..” He then stretched his legs and wiggled his feet. This crazy man seriously couldn’t stay still.

“Can I exchange my angel or something? I don’t like you.”

“Haha. Very funny, Eric.” Again, he said with that rude tone. “You know what’s funnier? It was actually ‘No’, you can’t exchange your angel. You’re stuck with me.” He then grinned in teasing glee.

“This whole deal is a crap.” Well, to be fair, my attitude towards Minwoo was not any better. I was rude to him too. And even though I knew he held no responsibility of my death whatsoever, I just needed someone to blame.

“Then try harder. Think harder.” Minwoo scolded me. “So you can get your memory back and finish your concern and then we can happily go to our own way.”

“How long this usually takes?” I asked slowly while turning away. Just by looking at Minwoo made me in a bad mood.

“It’s different for everyone. Some need only few days, the other needs weeks. Seriously Eric, in this kind of business, you can’t generalize anything.” 

“What’s the record?”

“Three months.”

“No, no, no! I don’t want to spend three months only talking to you! I would go insane!” I shrieked in horror to the possibility. Minwoo clicked his tongue felt offended.

“Jeez, you whine too much!” He snapped.

“And why I’m in this roof? It’s not my house.” I asked.

“Um, because this place was vacant.” Minwoo said somehow unsure. “Well, it’s not my job to pick and prepare a place for you, okay. My assignment is only to you.” And for my surprise, Minwoo then pouted.

“Eh?”

He then sighed. “I don’t know how to explain this without making you too confused. No offense, but you aren’t that bright, so maybe it won’t be easy to understand this.” He said carefully.

Wait, did he just implied that I was too stupid to understand his explanation?

“There are different kinds of angels with specific role, you know. Like my role is to , so I don’t deal with finding you an empty roof or something like that. That’s what other department’s angel does. And my best guessing, the only reason they placed you here is because this roof is unoccupied.”

“So there are others like me too?” I asked dumbly. I was still trying to process whatever Minwoo just said in my banging head.

“Yes.” Then he gestured his chin to point at other roofs around my roof. “But you won’t see them or their angels. You have your own concern to mind. Don’t need to pry on others.”

“Wow.” I sighed in perplexed. I stared at one roof then shifted to another, and even though I couldn’t see anything, I was imagining in my head that there’s a poor soul like me sitting with his angel by his side on those roofs.

“Angel’s business in one busy business.” Minwoo said proudly.

“And no human can see us?” I asked while still staring at the seemingly empty roofs surrounding me.

“No, they can’t.” Minwoo shook his head firmly. “But I have huge suspicion that animals might be able to see us. I ever had this one ugly cat kept staring at me. I hate that cat!” Minwoo grunted viciously. And I couldn’t stop myself to roll my eyes.

“Tell me about your previous escorts.”

“I can’t do that. I have my confidentiality and secrecy policy to follow.” Minwoo shook his head rather arrogantly.

“You’re not even a lawyer.” I snorted.

“Actually we’re the same. A lawyer, or a doctor or an angel, all of them have their job and responsibility. And so we have to protect our client’s secret.” He argued.

“You’re too full for your size.” I scoffed.

“Yah! Did you just say that I’m short?” Minwoo shouted angrily.

“I never said that you’re short.” I shook my head slowly. Even though in my head I was rolling and laughing at him. Yeah, you’re short Minwoo.

“You’re so impossible.” Minwoo gritted his teeth. “I don’t like you.”

But then something happened. Fast flashes of colors and noises filled my head the second Minwoo said that I was impossible. But none of those flashes really made sense to me. Just some crazy and dizzying flashy images that soon disappeared before I could actually see them.

“Keep talking. I think I started to remember something.” I urged Minwoo to keep talking and hastily waved my hand in front of his face.

“I don’t like you. I don’t like you. I don’t like you.” That piece of gorilla booger opened his mouth.

“Yah!”

“What? You told me to keep talking.” Minwoo retorted innocently.

“Are you stupid? Aarghh, forget it!” I turned away and lied back down. Placing my hand under the side of my head, I shut my eyes tightly. Those flashing colors and noises were still playing on my head, even though they didn’t get any clearer. I think I heard some shouting and some screeching. And same as before, I could see shiny parquet floor then shifted into sidewalk. Those images and noises were appearing and vanishing so fast, so the more I tried to see the dizzier I felt.

Easy, Eric. Look closely and don’t rush it..

I counted slowly from one to ten while trying to even my anxiety. Those shouting, they called my name. Those screeching, weirdly they sounded so fun. Where was I when I heard those sounds? And then, much clearer than anything, I could hear someone said something.

“You’re so impossible.”

His voice was clear and surpassed any other buzzes on my head. And then, all I could hear was that voice. Suddenly, my head was clear again. No more flashing colors or dizzying noises. No more pain. The way the person said that (“You’re so impossible. You’re so impossible.” I replayed that short sentence again and again in my head), it was no doubt that he scolded me. But strangely, then I felt so safe and completely composed.

Who was he? Who was that voice belongs to?

I jerked and sat up before faced Minwoo rather hastily. “Who is he?” I asked right away.

“Who is he who?” Minwoo asked me back with much confused. He blinked twice as he couldn’t understand what I was talking about.

“This person. Who is he? He said ‘You’re so impossible’ to me.” I mumbled still dazed. And why was his vicious voice so powerful, it could erase my headache and then sooth my anxiety? It was just one sentence. Who is this person?

“You got your first memory?” Minwoo smiled.

“No. Not really. Only one sentence.”

“It’s okay. It’s very good actually.” Minwoo smiled encouragingly. “You did well, Eric.” And I was amazed by the true sincerity on his eyes when he said that.

I blinked frequently and bit my lips in flustered. The day was almost over. I could see how the sun was almost set on the west and now the sky was on the bright orange color. And I was still staring at it when I lied back down again on the roof. I forced myself to try harder in remembering the person whose voice kept playing on my head. 

“Minwoo?”

“Hmm?”

“Do I have to stay here in this roof all the time?”

“No. You can go around if you wish. But you have to come back here at least once a day.” Minwoo said patiently. And for a moment, I forgot about the rude angel he used to be this morning. Right now, my angel was so nice and dependable.

“How?”

“I’ll help you. Right now, you’re bringing a weight inside you, so that’s why you feel heavy. So you cannot move by yourself. But when you can finish your concern here, at that time you will be able to move lightly just like me.” 

“You mean, floating in the air?”

Minwoo smiled and nodded. “Precisely.”

“But only after I finish my concern.” I mumbled softly. Whatever it was.

“Only after you finish your concern.”

***

All night, I sat on the edge of the roof as I tried to remember more about that shiny parquet floor and that particular sidewalk. I let my legs hung while I watched the dark sky. I think I could hear the sound from television from the house. The house owner’s ahjumma must have been watched it right now. I learned that there were only two people lived here – that ahjumma and her teenage son. And for some reason I didn’t understand, it made me sad.

“Why I don’t feel sleepy?” I asked abruptly. And Minwoo who was floating away on the backyard looked up at me.

“You’re a soul. You don’t sleep.”

“But yesterday – “ I was sure I fell asleep yesterday.

“Oh, I made you sleep. You desperately needed some sleep last night.” Minwoo explained.

“How?”

“Some angel’s power.” Minwoo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly before resumed his hobby again – floating away randomly and humming a pop song.

I lied down while letting my legs hung on the roof’s edge. I put my hands under the back of my head and stared straight to the sky above. And not long after that, my mind already wandered around. So this was how it felt like to be dead. I was no longer breathing. (Well, I still could inhale and exhale, but now that breathing thing was completely voluntary effort. If I didn’t do it on purpose, then I stopped breathing and still okay). I couldn’t be hurt even though I fell from the roof. I was no longer sweating and my heart stopped beating. And now I learned that I no longer needed to sleep.

And then without even trying, that scolding voice was replaying again in my head. That voice was so beautiful and when I closed my eyes, that voice echoed deeper in every part of my body. And then I found myself smiling by remembering his voice. His voice – whoever he was – was magical.

So I decided to stop thinking. I just closed both of my eyes and let the voice filled my head. Then I realized that I felt something like a pang inside my chest. It was so subtle and deep buried under all of my anxieties since yesterday. But at this very minute, I realized that this feeling was here inside my chest all along.   

This feeling was yearning.

I was missing something. I was longing for something.

But my serene and calm moment didn’t last too long. Because a few seconds after, one horrid image came intruding my head. I jerked and sat up abruptly.

“Minwoo!”

“Yeah?”

“I think – I – “ I stammered when another image came to my head. Minwoo hurriedly floated approaching me and looked closely at my face. And the words just spelled out by themselves from my mouth.

“I think I remember how I died.”

___________________________________

A/N

Firstly, I want to say thank you to MrsLeeSunHo, Izzymon, princessgre, kzzsinx, ramyunfave, shinjaejong, aora1234, ochine, hyuu_hikari, myshinhwafic, nuzwir, breathemyAIR and Shinbani for their lovely comments on last chapter.. Thank you for Pateukie.. I know you’re in the middle of something but you reply all my rant and whine every time.. ^^ Thank you princessgre (again), of course I would love to hear your nag ever again.. ;p And for floppybeib.. Thank you for Hyesung’s Live Concert album.. I wrote this while listening to it.. ^^

*hugs you all*